Every once in a while, the news of a student dying because of ragging hits headlines. Usually, it’s followed by a few debates on the telly after which everyone but those involved in and affected by the issue forget all about it. Until the next time it happens.
On March 16, 2009, the issue came up before the Supreme Court following the death of Aman Kachroo, a student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Aman was ragged following which he died. It isn’t entirely clear what exactly it was that caused him to die: he suffered a perforated eardrum and internal injuries but there are queries about whether the doctor who attended to him was negligent in treating him.
In addition to this, Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam also spoke of the death of a girl student of Agriculture and Engineering College, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh after allegedly being
forced to dance obscenely.
The Supreme Court did not take the issue lightly and Justices Arijit Pasayat and A K Ganguly issued a show cause notice to the Principal and Registrar of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College asking them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for not complying with the court’s directions to prevent ragging.
The notice issued by the Supreme Court also required the Principal and Registrar of the Medical College to state what action was taken after the ragging incident was brought to their notice. In addition to this, the court asked the Medical Council of India to inquire into the allegations of medical negligence against the doctor who treated Aman, and the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh to file separate affidavits stating what they have done to comply with the court’s earlier directions and what action has been taken against the two institutions as well as against the students who did the ragging.
Justice Arijit Pasayat said in no uncertain terms, “It appears that the concern shown by this court has not been taken seriously by the authorities. Prima facie it is contempt of this court. The directions issued by this court on May 16, 2007 and February 11, 2009 on the basis of the R K Raghavan Committee Report to end the menace have not been complied with. Time has come for cutting off financial age to there institutions which are not complying with the directions.”
Perhaps the possibility of this happening i.e. financial support being cut will actually get institutions to do what they can to stop ragging. The University Grants Commission has also said that it will finalise stringent rules on the issue by the first week of April 2009.
The intervention of the Supreme Court and the measures of the UGC come too late for the students who have alreay lost their lives but, with any luck, they will help others in the future.
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